This is a very sweet and funny movie. It gently pokes fun at class and social differences. It has a liberal romantic view of homelessness that is similar to the romantic view of poverty that Charles Dickens presents. It is close to "Sullivan's Travels" in its humor.
I watched the movie for Gale Storm who became a big television star in the 1950's on "My Little Margie" and "the Gale Storm Show". She is fine, even more natural, relaxed and open in her performance than on the later television shows.
The big surprise for me was Dom Defore as the romantic lead. He played a best friend on Ozzie and Harriet for five years and was the lead on a dismal 60's television comedy called Hazel for five more years. He's actually quite good here.
Victor Moore as the Hobo and Charlie Ruggles as the rich man are delicious. The scenes where they trade places are hilarious. There's a nice chemistry between these two old pros who actually starred in silent movies.
The director, Roy Del Ruth, also started out in silent films as a gag-man and writer for the great Mack Sennett (who discovered Charlie Chaplin). His silent film background contributes to the many delightful visual gags in the film. The first ten minutes could almost be a silent film.
It is a nice family movie, well worth seeing. While times were never as sweet as this movie portrays them, the movie does suggest that a more humane ethic existed at this time than we generally see around us today.
I watched the movie for Gale Storm who became a big television star in the 1950's on "My Little Margie" and "the Gale Storm Show". She is fine, even more natural, relaxed and open in her performance than on the later television shows.
The big surprise for me was Dom Defore as the romantic lead. He played a best friend on Ozzie and Harriet for five years and was the lead on a dismal 60's television comedy called Hazel for five more years. He's actually quite good here.
Victor Moore as the Hobo and Charlie Ruggles as the rich man are delicious. The scenes where they trade places are hilarious. There's a nice chemistry between these two old pros who actually starred in silent movies.
The director, Roy Del Ruth, also started out in silent films as a gag-man and writer for the great Mack Sennett (who discovered Charlie Chaplin). His silent film background contributes to the many delightful visual gags in the film. The first ten minutes could almost be a silent film.
It is a nice family movie, well worth seeing. While times were never as sweet as this movie portrays them, the movie does suggest that a more humane ethic existed at this time than we generally see around us today.